Dear Editor:

A number of years ago, Fraser Hospital made the decision to no longer participate as a provider in the retired military TriCare Prime medical insurance program.

As a result, unless it is a life-threatening emergency, anyone covered under Tricare Prime now has to travel 25 or more miles to receive urgent care. Over the last few years, my husband and I have had to go to a Jacksonville hospital ER or the Solantic/Avencia clinics in Jacksonville for injuries such as broken bones, lacerations requiring stitches, sprains etc.

It is pretty painful to travel 38 miles to the hospital with a broken foot, and extremely aggravating to know that less than five minutes from my home is the local county hospital that refuses to treat  me as a provider with my insurance company. Part of my county taxes go to support this hospital, but I can’t use it. Why are we supporting a hospital that refuses to accept the insurance of many of its county residents?

Debra Milner

Macclenny